Container cover



Jul 21. 1936.

E. M. SQUAREY CONTAINER COVER Filed Marcfi 18, 1955 2 Sheets-sheaf l I n0972501? EdmmZ/Zbguarey y M A), Jzz's flitoz-ney y 1936. E. M. SQUAREY2,048,084

CONTAINER COVER Filed March 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inve r2501:

Edward if. Sguarqy Patented July 21, 1936 PATENT OFFICE comma covaaApplication March 18, 1933, Serial No. 661,518

4Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in covers or caps for containers.

Container covers or caps as heretofore made have not been entirelysatisfactory, some of them, particularly certain caps sometimes termedcover all caps, are of faulty construction especially in the nature oftheir fastening means. Said means in certain of such caps consists ofwire staples pushed through plaits in the caps, which when the materialof the caps becomes damp, readily cut through the same and the capbecomes unsealed.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide animproved container cover or cap of sheet material which embodies aportion to cover the containermouth and a skirt portion depending fromthe first-named portion which skirt portion includes one or morelaterally disposed elements of novel function and construc- 'tion, andwhich together with novel fastening means therefor overcome the abovedescribed faults.

Another object of the invention-is to provide a container cover havingin addition to the abovementioned lateral element or elements, adownwardly disposed element arranged to overlie the lateral element sothat a fastener may be passed both of said elements. Another object isto provide the lateral element in two ply form while the remainder ofthe skirt portion is single ply.

The means I prefer to employ for accomplishing the foregoing objects,together with other novel and advantageous features of my invention, areillustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of thisspecification and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation partly invertical section of one form of my improved container cover applied tothe neck of a container such as a beverage bottle.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same at right angles to the positionin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2 but with the containercover only partly applied.

Fig. 4 is a top plan of this form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of this form taken on the line 5-5 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 613 an enlarged horizontal section of this form taken on the line6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '1 is a plan of a portion of a strip of blanks for this form inprocess of making the same.

Fig. 8 is a plan of a portion of said strip ready for application tocontainers.

Fig. 9 is an end view of the same.

10 a front elevation partly in vertical 55 section of a slightlymodified form of my container cover particularly as adapted tocontainers for diary products.

Fig. 11 is a plan of the same as seen from above, and A Fig. 12 is ahorizontal section taken on the line 5 l2--l2 of Fig. 9.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in all the figures ofthe drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings,

1 have herein illustrated the blank and strip 10 material for the formof the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive. In the drawings, thenumeral 2 designates one of the blanks for this form and 3 designatesthe strip with a series of blanks thereon.

Each blank has a central portion 4 outlined by lines 5, scored orcreased in the paper or other material of the strip 3. Any suitableoutline may be employed and the octagonal form herein shown is to beunderstood as illustrative and not limit- 20 ing. The said portions4'are spaced a suitable distance apart and are ordinarily surrounded bycreased or scored portions 8 which eventually become the skirt portionsdefined in the claims and which will herein be. more fully described. 25

The said skirt portions 6 ordinarily have a plurality of lines Iradiating from-the comers of the group of lines 5, but they may bearranged in any other suitable manner. The said lines I later outlinefolds 8 in the skirt portion 6 of the con- 30 tainer cover.

Preferably there are weakened portions between the sets of scorings orcreasings comprising lines 5 and 'l and outlining the container coversto be formed from the blanks 2. In the blanks of 35 Figs. '7 and 8,'theweakened portions are made by placing two perforations 9 and In betweenadjacent sets of scorings, said perforations being separated by narrowconnecting parts ii. The said parts II have scorings l2 across them sothat they 40 readily give way when stress is exerted on them by thetearing strip hereinafter to be described.

' There is a series of slits formed substantially parallel to a sideedge of the strip 3, -said slits being numbered i3 and it according asthey are formed in the. forward or rearward part of a 1 perforation 9.and I3 and Il on the corresponding parts of a perforation ill. The saidslits, together with the perforations they are joined to, define sideedge portions l5 and Hi. It is clear that the strip 3 can be formedeither with one or two of said side edge portions as desired and it willbe noted that said edge portions are substantially as long as theblanks.

Preferably the side edge portions I5 and I6 are made of two plies ofmaterial while the remainder of the blank 2 is of single ply material.Ordinarily the two plies at the side edges are produced by doubling theedge portions in a blank of the form 5 and dimensions indicated in Fig.7, into those shown in Fig. 8. The dotted lines II in Fig. 7 indicatethe folding lines for producing the two ply structure of Fig. 8.

This form of construction is very advantageous 10 as it is desirable toform the side edge portions of comparatively thick material so that itwill not give way when fasteners, hereinafter to be described, arepassed through said portions for fastening the covers on the containernecks. This form of container cover blank is placed on the containerneck as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive preferably by a machine. Thecontainer mouth covering portion 4 is first placed on the mouth M of thecontainer C, in this instance, a beverage bottle, and the blank 21 isthen cut off from the strip 3 along one of the lines 20-20 across thestrip.

The skirt portion 6 is then pushed downward over the container neck n.The folds or plaits 8 are then formed in the skirt portion 6, the fold-\h1g lines being the creased radiating lines I of the blank 2. It willnow be apparent from inspection of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 that the skirtportion 6 has depending portions of two kinds at 0 its .lower part.

One kind of said depending portions, shown particularly in Figs. 2 and3, includes elements or tabs extending laterally or circumferentially'of the container neck when the cover is placed includes two of suchlateral or circumferential tabs, one denoted by l8 extending to theright and the other denoted by 20 extending to the sleft. There is asecond kind of depending mem- 'ber orportion indicated by 2|, whichconsists of short downwardly extending elements or tabs adapted tooverlap the lateral elements or tabs l9 and 20. These are shown at thecentral part of Fig. 1.

The lateral tabs or elements are now wrapped circumferentially aroundthe lower parts of the diagonally disposed portions 22 of the skirtportion 6, holding the folds therein in proper position. It will benoted that the two pairs of lateral tabs I9 and 20 taken togethersubstantially sure round the container neck n, as shown in Fig. 6. Alsothe end parts of one pair of tabs interlap each with the end part of oneof the opposite pair, in other words they are terminally interlapped.

The tabs 2| in this form two in number are then lapped over the parts ofthe tabs I9 and 20 adjacent to them. Finally, fasteners 23 are pushedthrough the overlaps and parts thereunder as in Figs. 1 and 6.

Preferably the fasteners employed are staples of suitable form such as24. The staples 24 consist of two sets of staple elements 25, 26,. 21and 28, passed through the three tabs and portions 22 of the skirtportion 6, joined by a longitudinal element 29 in juxtaposition to thesurface of the outer tab 2| and the inner longitudinal elements 30 and3|, and the ends 32 and 33 are then bent as in Fig. 6.

One of the ends of the lateral tabs ordinarily contains the pull and isleft extending and free as shown in Figs. 1 and 6 so that when it isdesired to remove the container cover, it is merely necessary to pullsaid tab end, indicated by 34, firmly and thus to strip off the lateraltabs l9 and 20, together with the depending tabs 2| which give way alongthe weakened lines or scorings l2 taking withthem the'fasteners orstaples 24. The skirt portion 6 and mouth covering portion 4 is nowreadily removed.

The modification shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12 5- is more particularlyadapted for use on dairy bottles such as milk and cream bottles. In theform first shown, the parts of the skirt adjoining the sides of thecentral portion 4 are substantially parallel sided parts. In the presentmodifi- 10 cation, however, these are shown with converging foreconverged as shown in Fig. '10, and are very advantageous in assistingto shape the skirt in under the rounded top portion T of the containerCI of that figure.

My improved container covers or capsmay be 20 used alone on thecontainers or may be used in connection with other sealing devicesparticularly as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 10. In Fig. 1 my containercover is shown placed over a crown bottle stopper and in Fig. 10 mycontainer cover 25 is shown placed over one of the paper disk stopperscommonly used on milk and cream bottles.

For the purpose of cleamess the paper parts in the sections in thedrawings are shown larger in diameter and of greater thickness thanactual 30 The method of making the material for the container covers,bottle covers or caps and the like may be performed in any suitablemanner for obtaining the desired form of article. Prefer- 35 ably thestrip material of the width shown in Fig. '7 is first coated withadhesive along one or both side edge portions and on either one or bothsides of the dotted longitudinal line or lines as shown in Fig. 7. Thestrip is then folded along 40 said dotted linesvor line I! of Fig. '1.This-operationmay be performed either before or after the printing ofthe labels or other printed matter or otherwise placing of the same oneach container cover or cap blank, and it may also be done either 45before or after the embossing, scoring or perforating on said blanks.

Preferably, however, the printing or placing of the labels or printedmatter on the blanks is performed next'after the folding of the longi 50tudinal plies. Next the scoring or embossing of the folding lines 5 andI, or such other scored lines as may be desired including lines I2, isperformed. And finally the perforations O and I0 and the slits l3, l4,l3 and M are formed. 56

'Ordinarily the strip 3 is then formed into a roll suitable for use in amachine for applying the blanks 2'.

It is evident that modifications and changes can be made in my improvedarticle and in the method of making the same which will be within thescope and essence of my invention and I do not therefore limit myself tothe exact details of construction herein shown and described. 65

What I claim is: 1

1. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth,a skirt portion which includes a plurality of depending portionsintegral with the first-mentioned portion, lateral 70 parts of lengthequal to that of the cover blank connected with two opposite of saiddepending portions, said parts wrapped around the container neck andacting as bands, their end-portions being interlapped, said skirtportion-also includ- 75 ing outwardly extending tabs between the twoopposite depending portions and overlying the band ends, the outer edges01' said band parts extending primarily beyond the other depending tabsand brought to equal length therewith by folding them inwardly, and aplurality oi tasteners having parts lying on said tabs and parts passedthrough the same and the band end parts for securing the cover on thecontainer neck.

2. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth,a skirt portion which includes a plurality of depending portionsintegral with the first-mentioned portion, lateral parts of equal lengthto that of the cover blank connected with two opposite of said dependingportions, said lateral parts wrapped around the container neck andacting as bands, their end portions interlapped, said skirt portion alsoincluding outwardly extending tabs between the two opposite ,dependingportions, overlying the band ends and provided with weakened portionsadapted to give way when a band is torn from the container cover, and aplurality of fasteners having parts lying on said tabs and parts eachpassed through the same and two opposite portions the band end parts forsecuring the cover on the container neck, one of said lateral band partsbeing doubled and adapted to be torn away from the cover in thedirection of its length for removing the cover from the container.

3. A strip of consecutive container cover blanks each comprising acentral portion, marginal strips, and portions between said strips andsur- 5 rounding the central portion and adapted to be collapsed aboutthe container neck; said strip of blanks having holes therein betweenthe side edges thereof, and between adjacent covers, leaving saidmarginal strips as continuous bands, said marginal strips being adaptedto cooperate with securing means to form a constricted band about thecontainer neck.

4. A strip of consecutive container cover blanks each comprising acentral portion, marginal strips aligned in the blank strip and an areabetween said strips and surrounding the central portion and adapted tobe collapsed about the container neck, said strip of blanks having holestherein on each side of the center of the strip and between the sideedges thereof, leaving central longitudinal tabs of adjacent covers andleaving said marginal strips as continuous bands, said marginal stripsand said central longitudinal tabs being adapted to cooperate withsecuring means to form a constricted band about the container neck.

EDWARD M. SQUAREY.

